Jobs-linked scheme may replace export incentives that are in
breach of trade rules. The government is working on a scheme
to allow duty-free import of capital goods by the domestic
industry, a measure that may be linked to employment
generation. The initiative could be an alternative to some
of the export incentive schemes that will now have to be
phased out or withdrawn because of their incompatibility
with global trade rules, a government official told Business
Line. “At present, exporters can import capital goods
duty free under the Export Promotion Capital Goods (EPCG)
scheme and also under initiatives for EOUs (export oriented
units) and SEZ (Special Economic Zone) units. However, these
schemes are no longer compatible with World Trade
Organisation (WTO) norms and have to be phased out or
withdrawn. The new scheme is being designed to offer similar
benefits to manufacturers within the boundaries of WTO
norms,” the official said.

The union finance ministry has approved approximately Rs
3,500 crore for second phase of Faster Adoption &
Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric vehicles (FAME) policy
to press on the sale of electric automobiles in India,
Moneycontrol has learnt. The ministry of finance has
approved a corpus of about Rs 3,500 crore to fund FAME II
scheme over the next five years,” a source in the know said.
Department of Heavy Industries (DHI), who is spearheading
the scheme, had sought close to Rs 12,256 crore from the
government to fund the scheme which will provide subsidy to
only public transport like buses and passenger fleet (cabs)
in the second phase. Moneycontrol first reported in June
that finance ministry had returned the draft note circulated
by DHI after it raised questions over the funding mechanism
of the scheme. An official had told Moneycontrol that the
proposal sent by DHI was returned by finance ministry
seeking a more comprehensive scheme framework. FAME scheme
was launched by union ministry for heavy industries in 2015
for two years to subsidise the purchase of electric
vehicles. Under the scheme, the government provides subsidy
up to Rs 22,000 on two-wheelers, Rs 61,000 on three-wheelers
and Rs 1,87,000 on four-wheelers. The first phase of the
scheme, which was to end in March 2017, was extended till
March 2018. As the draft for the second phase failed to get
the government’s nod till then, it has been extended till at
least September this year.

South Korean auto major Hyundai Motor is planning to
introduce its full range of electric vehicles in India as it
tries to expand its product offerings to compete with market
leader Maruti SuzukiNSE 0.43 % for a bigger share of the
Indian roads. Close on the heels of Maruti Suzuki
announcing plans to manufacture electric vehicles by 2020,
Hyundai has commissioned a study to explore manufacturing of
such vehicles in India. This will be in addition to
introducing the globally successful Kona SUV by importing
CKD packs to India by the second half of 2019. YK Koo, MD of
Hyundai Motor India, said the aim is to have a range of
electric cars in India and cater to buyers in different
price segments. The company is currently studying various
aspects of battery manufacturing and sourcing parts from the
local market “We will be adopting a top down approach for
EVs in the country.

New ecommerce policy will
help India in WTO negotiations: Commerce department

The commerce department has asserted that India requires a
domestic ecommerce policy as there was pressure from
developed countries on it to take part in WTO negotiations
on online trade and also to counter China’s domination in
the digital space. The commerce department’s draft
ecommerce policy has come in for criticism from several
quarters including government departments and ministers, as
reported by ET on Wednesday. But a commerce department
official said such a policy was needed by India to safeguard
its interests and other ministries and departments were
shying away from their responsibilities. The idea of the
policy was to create a robust information base, facilitate
an ecosystem for domestic economy, strengthen consumer
protection in the ecommerce space, ensure safety of personal
and community data in the country and become WTO compliant,
said another official justifying the department’s
initiative. The controversial draft policy on ecommerce,
which proposes up to 49% foreign direct investment (FDI) in
inventory-based ecommerce and pitches for data localisation,
has irked various ministries and government departments,
with many questioning the rationale behind key proposals.

Sources told ET that some ministries and departments feel
the draft policy encroaches on their domain as it deals with
many issues outside the remit of the commerce department,
which is looking to issue a draft within the next 10 days
after incorporating the views of stakeholders. These
ministries have expressed their reservations during
consultations and are expected to put their objections in
writing, the people said.

The department of industrial policy and promotion (DIPP) did
not favour an upfront FDI cap for inventory based models.
The policy proposes up to 49% FDI in such Indian-controlled
entities for 100% locally made goods.

Companies committed to electronic
hardware manufacturing with substantial value addition
through production of components, subassemblies, parts,
capital goods/machinery for manufacturing of electronics
hardware, EMS providers, service providers such as
quality/product testing as well as companies designing
components and subassemblies are eligible for
membership. Equipment companies from all segments of
electronics (i.e., Consumer, Telecom, IT, Defence,
Industrial, Medical and Automobiles) are welcome to join
ELCINA membership once they commence manufacturing,
assembling or designing activities in the country.

ELCINA has recently renovated its Display
Center to meet the changing environment of the Industry.
Small size Display booths are made to accommodate more and
more cotopmpanies

The second draft of e-commerce policy incorporating inputs
from stake-holders is expected to be placed in public domain
in a fortnight, a senior official said. “The Government
wants the e-commerce policy to be in place as soon as
possible,” the Joint Secretary. In the Commerce and
Industry Ministry, Sudhanshu Pandey, said at a roundtable
organized by traders’ body CAIT. The government has an open
mind regarding e-commerce policy and based on suggestions
and inputs received from the stakeholders, the second draft
of the e-commerce policy would be placed in public domain
likely in the next fortnight, the official said. The draft
National E-Commerce policy, of which MediaNama has a copy (pdf),
includes debatable requirements like data localisation, an
audit of foreign companies’ source code, mandating RuPay on
every e-commerce website, using Jan Dhan account
transactions to create a creditworthiness profile of
individual users, amongst others. The 19-page policy
is representative of the interests of the
government-constituted ecommerce think tank. It prioritizes
e-commerce brands which have already been set up in India,
and has clauses that discourage the free inflow of foreign
capital in e-commerce. This could end up complicating things
for the entire Indian e-commerce ecosystem, including
consumers. The membership to the think tank excludes
foreign-based brands like Amazon, Uber, Visa, MasterCard and
others while accommodating companies started in India
(though not necessarily incorporated here) like Flipkart,
Jio, Ola, MakeMyTrip, Infosys, WIPRO, Paytm, and so on. Like
the National Education and the National Telecom Policies
which guide the government’s approach for over 10 years,
the draft National Electronic Commerce Policy will steer the
approach of the government towards e-retailers, digital
service providers and anyone else who conducts e-commerce in
India.

With the government finalising the second phase of FAME
(Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid &) Electric
Vehicles) India, the auto ancillary makers are a worried
lot. The industry fears that the policy could take a heavy
toll on it. In its annual industry performance review, the
Automotive Component Manufacturers Association of India (ACMA)
recommends that the government should define a technology
agnostic road map for xEVs (hybrid and electric vehicle)
with well-defined roles and responsibilities for each
stakeholder and mandate standards for components for xEVs
and charging stations to prevent cheap/substandard imports.
In an interview with Fortune India, Vinnie Mehta, director
general, ACMA, explains the industry’s concerns.

To get investors for its ambitious Coastal Economic Zone (CEZ)
scheme, the Ministry of Shipping is pitching for tax
concessions on the lines of what is available for special
economic zones. This, it is felt, could give a boost to the
project after the government decided to give a push to the
logistics and warehousing sectors by declaring them as
infrastructure. The ministry is likely to approach the Prime
Minister’s Office for the same. “We are in the process of
seeking approval from various stakeholders including NITI
Aayog, Department of Expenditure, DIPP and road ministry and
would write to the PMO,” an official in the know told Business
Standard. The Union government had proposed setting
up CEZs, one each on the east and west coast of the country.

The finance ministry has stayed the imposition of safeguard
duty on solar panels and modules imported from China and
Malaysia until the writ petition challenging the decision is
disposed off by the Orissa HighCourt. In a letter to all
chief commissioners of customs on Monday, the ministry said
“in compliance with the interim directions issued by the
high court of Odisha, it has been decided not to insist on
payment of safeguard duty for the time being”.

It has, however, added that solar equipment from these two
countries should be “in respect of said safeguard duty,
assessed provisionally on furnishing of a simple letter of
undertaking/bond”. It ensures that if the court later
upholds the duty, it can be imposed on the cleared
consignments as well. In mid-July, the Directorate General
of Trade Remedies (DGTR) had recommended imposing safeguard
duty of 25% on solar panels and modules imported from China
and Malaysia for a year, followed by 20% for the next six
months, and 15% for another six. The DGTR in its report said
the duty was necessary to protect the domestic solar
manufacturing industry.

Union Minister for Electronics& Information Technology and
Law & Justice Ravi Shankar Prasad remotely laid the
foundation stone of a permanent campus of the National
Institute of Electronics & Information Technology (NIELIT)
at Benthang in Pakyong, East Sikkim from Guwahati on
Saturday. The function was also attended by the Minister for
Health Care, Human Services and Family Welfare Arjun Kumar
Ghatani, who represented the state of Sikkim in One Digital
North East Summit. The state government has allotted 8.54
acres of land for setting up of the National Institute of
Electronics and Information Technology NIELIT in the state.
The Union Minister also laid foundation stone for setting up
of NIELIT at Shillong in Meghalaya, Guwahati in Assam and
Lunglei in Mizoram on the occasion.

On the occasion, the Digital North East: Vision 2022 was
officially released by the Union Minister in presence of the
Chief Minister of Assam Sarbananda Sonowal, Chief Minister
of Tripura Biplab Kumar Deb, Chief Minister of Meghalaya
Conrad K Sangma, Deputy Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh
Chowna Mein, PHE Minister Nagaland Jacob Zhimomi, IT
Minister Meghalaya Hamletson Dohling, Secretary Department
of Telecommunication, Secretary DoNER, officials from the
government of India and NE states.

Trade is War’ has become a live metaphor for contemporary
world politics in the wake of coercive attempts by the US
and China to restrict the flow of goods and services. The US
has imposed additional duties on Chinese products while
Beijing has responded by raising duties on American imports.
The US says trade with China is highly tilted in the
latter’s favour, as Beijing makes use of American technology
and floods the US market with its products while restricting
its own market to American businesses. As a result, the two
economic superpowers are indulging in a tariff war where
each player wants to extract the best deal for itself. And
both the economic giants say the reasons for the trade wars
are their domestic economy and local jobs.

Technology has become a key battleground. The Qualcomm and
NXP Semiconductor deal fell apart as Chinese regulators let
the deadline for approvals pass. One of the biggest mergers
of the semiconductor sector in particular and electronics
industry in general is the latest casualty of this trade
war. Not many are mincing words in saying the deal is a
direct casualty of the trade war between the two nations.
Even as they improve their ties with the European countries,
the trade relations between these nations deteriorates.

The government has modified the due date for filing of
final GST sales returns by businesses with turnover
exceeding Rs 1.5 crore to the 11th day of the succeeding
month. Currently, such businesses are required to
file GSTR-1 or final sales return of a particular month by
the 10th day of the succeeding month.
In a notification issued today, the Central Board of
Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) has stipulated that
details of outward supplies for July 2018 to March 2019 has
to be filed by the 11th of the succeeding month.
For businesses with turnover up to Rs 1.5 crore, and who are
required to file quarterly returns, the GSTR-1 giving
details of outward supplies has to be filed by the last date
of the subsequent month.

The
Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has been asked
to explore with its Chinese counterpart the possibility of
China joining the International Solar Alliance (ISA), a move
that could be instrumental in improving the access to solar
energy among other member-nations. This comes after Prime
Minister Narendra Modi asked Chinese President Xi Jinping
for China’s participation in ISA at the recent BRICS summit
in Johannesburg, given the latter is the leading solar
energy player in the world. ISA is a treaty-based
organisation meant to promote development of solar energy in
countries between the Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of
Capricorn.
“PM has extended the membership to China since ISA will
benefit from the latter’s participation,” the Ministry of
External Affairs said in a recent letter to MNRE. Meanwhile,
the Chinese president was also forthcoming to the proposal,
said the letter documenting the exchange between the two
leaders. ISA interim director general Upendra Tripathy
agreed that China joining the inter-governmental
organisation would be a big positive for the
121member-nations.

“It will collectively benefit the ISA member-nations. Other
members of the ISA family will get better opportunity to
interact with China, and even China will be able to
understand the market better. In future, even if
manufacturing becomes more decentralized, China will
continue to play an important role,” Tripathy said. China
leading in terms of solar PV generation globally, the
country’s participation will also provide other
member-countries access to better technology and financing
options, Tripathy added. ISA has, at present, 121
member-countries between the tropics. As the ISA membership
is being thrown open to the countries beyond the Tropics —
it is one of the main agenda of ISA’s first general assembly
scheduled in October — the Indian government has taken on a
“priority” basis the task of having China on board.

In India, the world's second-biggest smartphone market,
Apple Inc's normally deft management of government relations
is being put to a fresh high-stakes test. For almost two
years, Apple has battled India's telecom regulator over a
demand that it allow the use of the government's anti-spam
app. Non-compliance, the watchdog threatened last month,
could result in phones being "derecognised" from the
country's networks, meaning they would no longer function.
It is just one of several headaches the Cupertino,
California-based company is nursing in India - a market it
calls a top priority but where it has just 1 percent share.
Apple has not gotten the tax breaks it has sought for
suppliers to expand local manufacturing - key if it is to
avoid steep import duties that have made its iPhones,
already pricey for many Indian consumers, even more
expensive. Local content prerequisites have also stopped
the U.S. tech giant from opening its own stores. The lack of
direct sales channels has helped make it vulnerable to
discounting and prompted it to recently embark on a major
overhaul of its retail strategy.

Ikea's first Indian outlet opened on Thursday, with more
than 200 eager shoppers queueing in the underground car park
to escape the heat as a military band played a
crowd-pleasing medley inside.
The store in the southern city of Hyderabad is the first of
25 outlets the Swedish furniture giant hopes to open by 2025
across the country of 1.25 billion people.
"I've come all the way from Bangalore (575 kilometres, 357
miles away). I am excited to see what's there," garment
factory employee Krishna Mohan Dixit, 39, who began lining
up 90 minutes before the 10 am opening, told AFP.

The National Anti-profiteering Authority (NAA) under
the goods and services tax (GST) has stepped up pressure for
a pan-Indian audit of the e-commerce industry on the basis
of an order linked to Flipkart.NAA Chairman B N Sharma has
written to his indirect tax department counterpart for an
industry-wide audit after the director general (audit)
turned down a request for investigating e-commerce firms.
he government on Tuesday raised import duties on
328 textile products by up to 20 per cent in the fourth such
instance of higher tariffs being placed on inbound goods in
2018. India had raised basic Customs duties on 43 broad
categories of goods, including electronics, in this year's
Budget.

India, South Korea Trade
and Investment Ties: Focus on CEPA, Make in India

South Korean President Moon Jae-in undertook a four-day
visit to India in early July, keen to improve bilateral
economic and business ties between Seoul and New Delhi. High
on the visiting leader’s agenda was renewing South Korean
interest in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s flagship ‘Make in
India‘ campaign. Moon and Modi were both present as Samsung,
the South Korean multinational conglomerate, used the visit
to launch its largest global mobile factory in Delhi’s
National Capital Region. After formal talks, the focus was
on finding ways to ease bilateral investment challenges,
deepen economic ties, and upgrade the current Comprehensive
Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA). India and South
Korea also aim to increase trade and investment to US$50
billion by 2030 – from the current US$20 billion.

Portable electronic device manufacturer Toreto has expanded
its product portfolio in India with the launch of two fast
car chargers in India. The newly introduced chargers
-- Rapid charger 13 and Rapid charger 16 -- are priced at Rs
999 and Rs 499 respectively. Rapid charger 13 has current
input and output of DC 12-24V and 3.4A respectively to
ensure superfast charge. The device comes with four
different ports -- Qualcomm 3.0, one type C and two USB
ports. It is said to give an output of 7.4A with Qualcomm
3.0 port. Rapid charger 13 is compatible with
all Android and iOS devices along with other devices having
type C charging pin. It has a 1.8metre wire for easy access.
Rapid charger 16, the company claims can recharge two
devices simultaneously with the help of dual charging ports
for iOS and Android phones. The ports available include USB
2.0 and type C. It has a current input and output of DC
12-24V and 3.4 A respectively.

Recommerce, or reverse commerce, is defined as “the recovery
of products over electronic systems, such as the Internet,
or through physical distribution channels”. Recommerce
refers to a practice in which those who have bought products
can “sell back” obsolete or otherwise unwanted products in
exchange for cash or a different product. The aspirational
nature of the Indian consumer is what recommerce appeals to.
Welcome to the ‘Statusphere’ – the feeling of status
elevation by using a better quality/brand product or better
features at a similar price point.

India’s Local Language Demand
Grows as Language-Related Startups Make Waves

India’s local language needs are fuelling demand for both
language services and outright new solutions and a number of
language-related startups across the country are getting
attention and funding. A recent symposium in New Delhi
highlighted the importance of its local languages. India’s
Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY)
Secretary Ajay Prakash Sawhney emphasized in the event the
need for “barrier-free communication,” and said real-time
translation to all major Indian languages was the goal.

India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)
has developed a next-gen military radio communication system
for the country's naval forces. The system is expected
to assist in the networking of naval battlefield resources
on the move and enhance the operational capabilities of the
Indian Navy. The DRDO, after spending eight years
on the Integrated Development of Software-Defined Radio
for Navy (INDESDR) project, has successfully completed user
trials for five different software-defined radios capable
of addressing the needs of the Indian Navy, including
surface ships, specific air platforms (Dornier) and marines.

The "Global Electronics Chemicals Market - Segmented by
Product Type, Application, and Geography - Growth, Trends,
and Forecast (2018 - 2023)" report has been added
to Research And Markets.com's offering. The electronics
chemicals market is expected to witness a CAGR of
approximately 5.5% during the forecast period, primarily
driven by the increasing demand of printed circuit boards
(PCBs) for electronic devices. The growing smartphone
industry is further propelling the demand of integrated
circuits (ICs), which is also likely to stimulate the
electronic chemicals market.

E-governance is usually defined as distribution of
government services and information to the public using
electronic means. The means used for the distribution of
information are often referred to as Information Technology
or ‘IT’ in short forms. Use of IT in the government
facilities is an efficient, speedy and transparent process
for distributing information to the public and other
agencies, and for performing government administration
activities. The term governance may be termed as the process
by which society navigates itself. In the process of
e-governance the interactions between the State, Private
Enterprise and Civil Society are being increasingly
acclimatized and revised through the influence of
Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs),
constituting the phenomenon of e-governance. We can look the
other way but the reality is that the time is changing and
so are the means of communication and governance.

Bid to minimize human interface, reduce compliance burden on
the assesses. The Income Tax Department has proposed to
amend rules related to obtaining certificates by assessees
for deduction of income tax at lower rates or no deduction.
The Department has invited comments from various
stakeholders by September 4. The amended rules are likely to
be notified by mid-September.

Recipients of income in India have the option of filing an
application under Section 197 of the Income Tax Act with the
jurisdictional assessing officer, requesting for lower or
nil withholding of taxes as the case may be, based on merit.
The application needs to be filed in Form 13 along with
requisite enclosures as prescribed. Traditionally, Form 13
was filed manually. However, certain jurisdictions such as
Mumbai and Karnataka recently provided the option of filing
the same online.

Unlikely to make much impact on the company’s performance,
say analysis. The shares of IT major Infosys closed 3.2 per
cent lower at ₹1,385.20 on Monday on the BSE, reacting to
the Saturday decision of its Chief Financial Officer MD
Ranganath to step down from the company. Ranganath, who took
over as CFO in October 2015 and spent 18 years in India’s
second-largest software exporter, will exit the company on
November 16, said Infosys. Analysts believe that his exit
will not make much impact on the company’s performance. “His
exit is a loss to the company. And is a negative in the
short term. However, the way Infosys has managed the changes
at the CEO level and other senior management exits, we are
confident that Ranga’s exit will not have any material
impact on Infosys’ medium- to long-term performance,” said
Urmil Shah, Research Analyst and Associate Vice-President,
IDBI Capital.

Industrial technology services providers say that data
protection regime in India should be flexible to support
research and development, intellectual property (IP)
creation.

Companies such as L&T Technology Services (LTTS), Siemens
and others say that as the country is gradually “moving up
the value chain” especially in manufacturing sector and
creating more IPs, data protection policy with balanced
approach in localisation will encourage innovation. The
ministry of electronics and information technology brought
in India’s data protection bill to implement laws for
addressing privacy and data security on July 27. On the same
day, a committee, led by former Supreme Court judge BN
Srikrishna, submitted its report explaining the need for
data protection and how it should be achieved by carefully
balancing possible enforcement benefits of (data)
localisation.

Infosys announced on Monday commencement of work for
building a software development centre in Kolkata, even
without it getting the special economic zone (SEZ) status, a
key demand that delayed the product. The Bengaluru –based IT
major will initially invest Rs. 1 billion without any kind
of tax sops from the state government, West Bengal
government had allotted 50 acres of land in Rajarhat
township near Kolkata to Infosys in 2010. Despite paying Rs
750 million to acquire the land, Infosys didn't start
construction due to differences over taxation issues. After Mamata
Banerjee charge as the Chief Minister in 2011, the project
was put on the backburner, as her party, the Trinamool
Congress, was opposed to the idea of turning the centre into
a Special Economic Zone(SEZ).

IT Ministry urges
e-commerce players to set up data centres locally, at the
earliest

With India tightening its data security regime, the
government recently told e-commerce giants such as Amazon to
set up their data centres in the country at the earliest. “I
have emphasised in my meeting with top authorities of Amazon
India that they must urgently explore the possibility of
setting up their data centre in India,” Ravi Shankar Prasad,
Minister of Electronics and Information Technology and Law &
Justice, told BusinessLine in
an interview here. The meeting included Amit Agarwal, Global
Senior Vice-President and Country Head of Amazon India. When
contacted by BusinessLine,
Amazon India declined to comment. Prasad said this
initiative must be taken on a priority basis, as generation
of data is integral to e-commerce operations. Therefore,
safety, security and element of consent for transborder
migration of data are equally important. “They (Amazon) are
welcome to do business in India, as it offers them a good
market. But India and Indians are equally concerned about
their data,” Prasad said, adding that India is one of the
largest markets for Amazon so it should not be reluctant to
set up a server here.

Big boost to Modi’s ‘Digital
India’; e-payments surge over 8-fold in 5 years to 2,070 crore

In a big boost to government’s ‘Digital India’ initiative,
e- payment transactions recorded a significant jump to
2070.98 crore in 2017-18, Minister of State for Information
Technology (IT) said in a reply to a question in Lok Sabha
yesterday. In 2013-14, 220 crore e-transactions were
recorded. The central government is working with different
stakeholders namely smart cities, banks, payment service
providers and state to further promote the cashless
payments, the minister also said in response to another
question. A target of 3,013 crore digital payments
transactions has been set by the Ministry of Electronics and
Information Technology in 2018-19. The ministry uses a
performance scorecard and a bank ranking system to monitor
and also evaluate the performance of the lenders.

Union Minister for Electronics and IT Ravi Shankar Prasad
predicted a digital boom in India and said the country is
becoming a hub of electronics manufacturing in the world.
Inaugurating the state-of-the-art Electronics and IT Enclave
of Software Technology Parks of India (STPI), Bhubaneswar
here on Saturday, Prasad said from mobile manufacturing to
automobile and medical electronics to solar power,
everything is now being manufactured in the country. Prime
Minister Narendra Modi had wished to create an India of 3
ITs - India’s Talents plus Information Technology can be
India Tomorrow. “Digital India means empowering ordinary
people with the power of technology to reform, transform and
develop India. It will bridge the digital divide between the
haves and have-nots and bring digital inclusion based on
technology which is low cost and development oriented,” he
said. The STPI ELITE that was inaugurated is the biggest in
Eastern India. It will promote innovation, entrepreneurship
and incubation besides digitally empowering people and
creating more employment in Odisha.The Government has been
promoting electronic manufacturing in a big way. He said
from just two mobile manufacturing units in the country till
2014, the country now has 120 mobile factories in India,
employing nearly five lakh people in the last four years.

The union finance ministry has approved approximately Rs
3,500 crore for second phase of Faster Adoption &
Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric vehicles (FAME) policy
to press on the sale of electric automobiles in India,
Moneycontrol has learnt. The ministry of finance has
approved a corpus of about Rs 3,500 crore to fund FAME II
scheme over the next five years,” a source in the know said.
Department of Heavy Industries (DHI), who is spearheading
the scheme, had sought close to Rs 12,256 crore from the
government to fund the scheme which will provide subsidy to
only public transport like buses and passenger fleet (cabs)
in the second phase.

India’s telecom regulator and Apple have
likely reached an understanding to end a dispute over the US
smartphone maker’s reluctance to support the watchdog’s
do-not-disturb (DND) appoints. A middle ground appears to have
been found with Apple set to include about 75% of the features
that are on the Telecom
Regulatory Authority of India’s DND app in its new operating
system to be launched in September. However, the iPhonemaker has
stuck to its privacy policy, which doesn’t allow access to user
call logs and messages. Trai seems
to be satisfied with the arrangement mainly because iOS 12,
Apple’s new operating system, will allow subscribers to do what
DND app does – flag unwanted calls and messages. Trai seems to
be satisfied with the arrangement mainly because IOS12, Apple’s
new operating system, will allow subscribers to do what DND app
does – flag unwanted calls and messages.

Newly-listed Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi will soon take the
likes of Samsung, Apple and OnePlus head on by launching POCO, a
sub-brand in the premium segment in India as well as globally to
boostprofitability. Jai Mani has been appointed as the lead
product manager for POCO. Mani had served Google for almost four
years before joining Xiaomi as the lead product manager for
India operations in 2014.
"As a small outfit within Xiaomi, POCO has the freedom to start
from scratch, zeroing in on the product choices that matter. For
the first product, we got back to basics and focus entirely on
speed. Not just peak performance speed, but actual, real world
speed," Mani said in a statement. The executive said that the
prices of flagship smartphones have gone past the $1000 (Rs
69,000) mark, while the pace of innovation has slowed down. "We
have set out to build something to buck this trend".

With IT and telecom industry on the cusp of a data revolution,
the need for a skilled workforce, especially in data analytics
segment has assumed critical importance. There is a talent
deficit in data/analytics segment, as the education system is
yet to adapt to the latest technological shift which will
completely alter the landscape of the industry, according to
experts. There is a massive flow of data over internet which is
expected to increase manifold with the advent of new
technologies such as 5G, artificial intelligence, internet of
things (IoT), virtual reality, robotic process automation, block
chain amongst others. With increasing dependency of
entities/institutions across sectors on data, there is a greater
need for cyber security as data consumption and complexities
rise. Data analytics is fast becoming an integral part of
organisations due to factors such as improved efficiencies,
greater transparency and speed, and a way of reducing costs. It
also enable companies to explore new business/revenue streams
with much efficiency.

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has asked telcos to
give a three-year road map on how they will build the public
Wi-Fi system, signalling that the government may be inclined to
place its bets on licensed operators to start with for larger
broadband proliferation in the country.

At a meeting held earlier this week, attended by regulatory
heads of all telcos and industry bodies like Cellular Operators
Association of India (COAI) and Internet Services Providers
Association of India (ISPAI), DoT secretary Aruna Sundararajan
laid out the government’s public Wi-Fi ambitions and heard about
the roadblocks towards implementation of public Wi-Fi hotspots,
people familiar with the matter said. “We have been asked to
submit roadmaps and were assured that only if we do not meet
expectations, then will the DoT ask registered firms to pitch
in,” said an executive present in the meeting.

The telecom regulator has
rejected industry concerns over spectrum pricing

For the next auctions, saying it followed international
benchmarks and that it expects demand for both 5G and 700 MHz
airwaves, which can also be used to offer next-generation
services.
“Spectrum in 700 Mhz band can also be used to launch 5G
services. All bands are technology-neutral as of now. Service
providers can use any band for any technology,” Telecom
Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) secretary Sunil K Gupta
told ET.
He said the 700 MHz band — whose starting price was cut by some
43% from the last sale — already has a developed ecosystem for
both, 4G LTE and 5G services. This time round, Trai has cut base
price of 700 Mhz frequencies toRs 6,568 crore a unit, from Rs
11,485 crore in 2016, which failed to attract buyers.

Apple seems to have decided to relent in India and fall in line
with telecom regulator Trai’s demand to allow an anti-spam app
that tackles the menace of unwanted calls and messages. Sources
said the electronics giant has decided to make India-specific
changes in its upcoming operating system upgrade — iOS12 — to be
launched around September. The new version will add “certain
functionalities” that would make it convenient for users to
handle Trai’s D-Not-Disturb (DND 2.0) app effectively and report
about spammers promptly. “It will make it easier to identify
the spammers, and will make it smoother for users to report
about violators to Trai or any other authority that has been
earmarked./ This is not possible at this moment,” sources said.

Xiaomi's key smartphone component
supplier Holitech Technology to start making in India from next
year

Looks like Xiaomi's Supplier Investment Summit which was
organised in April this year to help non-local component
suppliers to start making locally is bearing fruit. One of its
key component suppliers, Holitech Technology, on Monday
announced that it will start component manufacturing in India by
Q1 2019. Holitech Technology has signed an MoU with the state of
Andhra Pradesh and will start local manufacturing in the city of
Tirupati for Xiaomi. Holitech Technology announced that it would
be investing nearly $200 million over three years in India and
would be the first manufacturer in the country to manufacture
Compact Camera Modules (CCM), Thin Film Transistor (TFT),
Capacitive Touch Screen module (CTP), Flexible Printed Circuits
(FPC), and fingerprint sensor locally. The local manufacturing
also aims to generate 6,000 jobs in three years.

The Defence Ministry has received requests from a number of
states including Gujarat, Rajasthan, Odisha, Tamil Nadu and
Uttar Pradesh to host the next Aero India, amid reports that the
mega aerospace event is being moved out of its traditional venue
of Bengaluru. Official sources said the Defence Ministry is
examining the requests from various states and yet to take a
call on the venue for the next edition of the event. "The
ministry has received requests to host the event from Gujarat,
Rajasthan, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and several other
states," said a source. There have been reports that the
biennial event - considered the largest aerospace exhibition in
Asia - may be organised at the Bakshi Ka Talab air force base in
Lucknow in October. Aero India has traditionally been organised
at Indian Air Force's Yelahanka air base on the outskirts of
Bengaluru.

The defence ministry today approved a long-pending proposal to
procure six indigenously manufactured next generation offshore
patrol vessels (NGOPVs) for the Navy at a cost of Rs 4,941 crore,
officials said. The go ahead for the project was given by the
Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), the ministry's highest
decision making body on procurement. The meeting of the DAC was
chaired by Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. The DAC
accorded approval for the procurement of six indigenously
designed and manufactured offshore patrol vessels at an
approximate cost of Rs 4,941 crore, the officials said. The
NGOPVs will be built in Indian shipyards and will be fitted with
state-of-the-art sensor suite with increased endurance, they
said.

Defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday exhorted the
indigenous defence manufacturing industry to look beyond the
procurement by Indian forces to tap the lucrative export
market for growth. Underscoring the need to balance
indigenisation with export centric manufacturing approach for
greater economic vitality and sustainability, Sitharaman said
the Centre would provide all necessary handholding to the
domestic defence manufacturers to scale up production and match
up to the stringent quality control norms of the export market.
She informed the Centre had already relaxed standing norms of
procurement to spur innovation and procure such defence wares,
although not in the requirement list, if they are found to be
appropriate.“The defence manufacturers can now suo moto innovate
and suggest for products which could be used by the defence
forces. If they pass the mandatory trial and testing stages,
there is an assured market for them,” she announced adding the
government would guarantee procurement for at least 10 years.

Reliance says Rafale contract
received from Dassault, not Defence Ministry

Caught in a political storm over the Rafale fighter aircraft
deal, billionaire, Anil Ambani’s Reliacne Group denied receiving
any contract from the Defence Ministry and said “unfounded and
incorrect” allegations are being deliberately made to “mislead
people and cloud the issue.” Answering questions ranging from
lack of experience to state-owned HAL being overlooked for the
deal, the group said Dassault, the French firm that is to supply
36 Rafale fighter jets, choose Reliance Defence Ltd to meet its
‘offset’ or export obligation in the contract and the Ministry
of Defence has no role in the selection of Indian partners by
the foreign vendors.

The department of Defence Production which comes under the
Defence Ministry will organize a meeting of stakeholders of the
defence equipment manufacturers on August 11 in Aligarh. Aligarh
is one of the six nodal points of Defence Industrial corridor in
UP. Other nodal points are: Agra, Jhansi, Kanpur, Lucknow and
Chitrakoot. Nirmala Sitharaman, Defence Minister, UP Chief
Minister Yogi Adityanath, ambassadors of several other
countries, officials of Defence Ministry, Ordnance Factories and
DRDO are going to attend the meeting. Around 500 industrialists
are going to attend the meeting. Sanjay Prasad, Joint
Secretary told TOI that some investment related announcements
are likely to be made in this meet.

Strategic Partnership Model for
Defence Acquisitions: Ready for the Next Scam?

The Defence Acquisitions Council (DAC), the apex decision body
for all the domestic and international defence acquisitions, as
well as for indigenous R&D, finalised guidelines for the vaunted
Strategic Partnership (SP) model under which foreign
manufacturers would tie-up with identified Indian partners for
manufacturing the concerned platforms in India. The DAC, chaired
by the Defence Minister, also drew up platform-specific
guidelines for the forthcoming acquisition of Naval Utility
Helicopters (NUH), which would be the first project taken up
under this model. Earlier, the focus of this model was
specifically to expand and support private sector participation
in domestic defence production in a space hitherto dominated by
the public sector, and the model itself provided only for
private entities. Under pressure from different quarters in
India, and given the obviously weak track record and
capabilities of the private sector in defence manufacturing, the
SP model also now accommodates partnerships between foreign OEMs
(Original Equipment Manufacturers) and public sector entities in
India. The model is another of the many “reforms” put in place
to improve and manage the notoriously inefficient and ponderous
process of defence acquisitions. These procedures and
institutional structures have been frequently modified in an
effort to further streamline processes, along with other policy
initiatives such as higher limits for FDI in defence, the ‘Make
in India’ programme etc.

Marking a shift from theatre projection systems to LED screens,
India got its first LED cinema screen today with the launch of
Samsung Cinema LED Onyx at PVR in New Delhi. Boasting of a high
dynamic range (HDR) picture quality and an infinite contrast
ratio, the Samsung LED screen makes watching 3D movies more
realistic through enhanced brightness and consistent colour
amplification. “India is a film-loving country. Our movies are
full of vibrant colours and rich music. Onyx Cinema LED will be
the true solution for such content and we believe this
technology will be a ‘blockbuster’ in the film industry. It is
going to revolutionize the movie viewing experience,” said
Puneet Sethi, vice-president, consumer electronics enterprise
business, Samsung India.

With TVs at nearly half price,
Amazon's Freedom Sale starts in full swing

Just under a month after concluding its blockbuster Amazon Prime
Day sale, the e-commerce giant has released yet another volley
of deals and discounts - this time for all its customers. In
addition to the expected '80% discounts' on certain categories,
the four-day Amazon Freedom Sale, which started today, is also
offering interesting deals and cash backs. With up to 40% off
on mobile phones and up to 50% off on electronics, this may be a
good time for customers to upgrade to latest models. The sale is
offering the much-coveted OnePlus 6 at an extra discount of Rs
2000 on exchange, with no cost EMI offers starting at Rs 5,833 a
month.

Samsung’s Top Selling TVs Get
Price Cut By Upto 15% to Maintain its Online-First TV Brands
Position

Over the last couple of years, the Indian TV market which was
once dominated by electronics goliaths like Samsung and LG has
become highly competitive. The Korean electronics giants no
longer enjoy the market monopoly they used to have, and much of
it is due to the pressure from homegrown brands like Vu,
Micromax, BPL, Intex and some Chinese multinationals like Haier,
TCL, iFFalcon and Xiaomi. Xiaomi is the latest entrant in the
Indian television market, and the upstart Chinese brand has
really taken the market by storm. Its currently selling its Mi
TV 4 (55 inch), Mi TV 4A (43 inch) and Mi TV 4A (32 inch) at Rs
44,999, Rs 22,999 and Rs 13,999 respectively. Ever since the
entry of Xiaomi into the market, leading TV manufacturer
Samsung, has been forced to take a back foot. The brand was even
forced to make two major price cuts to its existing product
range. The latest price cut apparently took place a just a few
hours back, and effects both its budget and premium televisions.

Harman International, a wholly owned subsidiary of Samsung
Electronics Co Ltd, focused on connected technologies for
automotive, consumer and enterprise markets has launched JBL’s
online brand store. As part of the inaugural promotion, two new
JBL products — JBL Go + Bluetooth speaker and JBL T205BT
headphone were launched on this website. The online brand store
will feature and sell the entire range of JBL consumer products
— from headphones and blue tooth portable speakers to home and
multimedia solutions, at prices ranging from Rs.650 up
to Rs.30,000. To start with, over 200 SKUs including all colour
variants are listed on JBL.com, to be followed by more
categories and products in the coming weeks. The website will
feature pre-sales previews of upcoming products and exclusive
new product releases.

In
association with FICCI and Chinese National Federation
of Industries (CNFI) along with the support of Electronic
Industries Association of India (ELCINA) organized the 2nd
Edition of India-Taiwan Industrial Collaboration Summit held on
29th August 2018 at the Federation House, New
Delhi.

This was a large delegation of about 80+
Taiwanese Industrialists and Govt. Officials from
Taiwan are participated in this Summit. This delegation was led
by Ms. Mei-Hua Wang, Vice Minister, Ministry of Electronics
Affair of Taiwan. The other officials who are addressed in
this forums are Mr Feng-Tzu Tsai, Vice Chairman of Indian
Affairs Committee, CNFI and Mr Richard Y. S. Chiu, Deputy
Representative, Taipei Economic and Cultural Center (TECC).

The
Industrial Forums Sessions are mainly on Electronic
Manufacturing & Industrial Park, Smart City & Green Technologies
and Smart Automotive Components. Some of the major Taiwanese
companies participated in this Summit are Ben Q,Century
Development Corporation, Chiauying Electric Co., Ltd., Getac
etc.. and
also by Taiwan Electrical & Electronic Manufacturers
Association (TEEMA).

On
30th August, 2018, this was followed by a B2B
meeting at Hotel
Le Meridien, New Delhi. Many
Indian Companies had an interactive session during this one on
one meeting with these Taiwan companies and the Association.
This B2B meetings are mainly focused on Smart City & Green
Technologies and Electronic Manufacturing & Industrial
Park and Automotive Components.

Taiwan
Delegation at ELCINA, 30th August 2018

On
30th August, 2018 followed by the B2B meeting, the Taiwan
Industrialists and the Govt Officials visited ELCINA and had an
interactive session along with the Indian companies.

We are
pleased to inform you that this year SES was very successful
with over 500 Conference delegates. At any time there were over
175-200 delegates in the Conference demonstrating the quality of
the various sessions and the class of Speakers which attracted
the delegates.

Further it
gives us great pleasure to inform that SES 2018 witnessed
unprecedented participation this year with over 300+
participating organisations, 43 exhibitors, 700+ Delegates and
Business Visitors as well as Two important Industry Interactive
Sessions hosted by BEL & HAL. These two sessions highlighted
major opportunities for industry and sharing the way forward to
engage with these two Navratnas. To top this, the Conference
contained two days of deliberations which were embellished with
eminent speakers and subject experts and the Exhibition hosted a
unique Soldering competition organized by IPC which would select
champions for a global competition.

Presence of
Padma Vibhushan Dr. V. K. Aatre-Former SA to RM, Shri Sanjay
Jaju ,IAS Joint Secretary, DIP Ministry of Defence, Shri AS
Kiran Kumar, Former Chairman ISRO, Padma Shri Dr. Prahlada
Ramarao, Maj. Gen. MJS Syali, ADG EME (B)-IHQ of MoD(Army), Rear
Amiral Sreekumar Nair-Asst. Chief of Material (IT&S), Indian
Navy, Rear Admiral VM Doss-ACNS (Air Material), Indian Navy were
the highlights of the event. Since last 9 years, ELCINA has been
organizing SES every year and we are happy with the results and
grateful for the support from industry and government. Strategic
electronics is a major area of interest for the country in which
ELCINA aims to contribute by playing the role of supporter and
facilitator and enable expansion of the domestic supply chain.

The
evolution of miniaturization and sub-miniaturization in the
design of electronic equipment led to the emergence of a new
technique of inter-component wiring and assembly known as the
printed circuit board (PCB). This technology has now become the
backbone of electronic devices. They provide the required
mechanical support structure and electrical connect for the
circuit. In addition to providing the connectivity, they also
help to reduce the overall size and enhance the efficiency of
the device.

By 2020, the electronics market in India is expected to increase
with a CAGR of 25.1 per cent to USD 400 billion from USD 104
billion in 2015

Currently only 35% of this demand is currently being met by
local manufacturers. And for the rest 65%, India is still
dependent on imports.

Hence, PCB- being the backbone of electronics holds a huge
demand in India - Current demand of USD 2.01 Billion represents
the demand based on the total PCBs (which includes both the bare
board PCBs and the populated PCBs)

Current market size for bare PCBs is USD 1.2 Billion - Only 30%
of this demand for bare PCBs is currently being met by local PCB
manufacturers. And for the rest 70%, India.

“Opportunities and
Challenges in the Strategic Electronics Sector, with special
focus on MSMEs”.

We are pleased to inform you that, a Special Report (update
2016) has been prepared by ELCINA on “Opportunities and
Challenges in the Strategic Electronics Sector, with special
focus on MSMEs”. This Report involved detailed
research & discussions with varied stakeholders from Defence
Sector. It provides updated information as well as
recommendations for next steps for Strategic Electronics and
policy changes that we believe are required to take the Defence
Electronics Sector to new heights. The updated report was
released during Strategic Electronics Summit 2016.

This Study provides on insight into the Defence Electronics
eco-system in India and is a guide, both for the industry as
well as the defence establishment to chalk out a path to success
in this important sector. You may order the same from by
following the below link;

A Supercapacitor or Ultracapacitor is a charge storage device
that stores
electrical charges via electrochemical & electrostatic processes
and has an unusually high energy density when compared to common
capacitors. Due to their beneficial properties like fast
charging ability,

superior low temperature performance, long service and cycle
life, and reliability, Supercapacitors hold the potential to
replace or complement traditional batteries and capacitors in
several applications. Supercapacitors are already being used
worldwide in number of applications ranging from automotive,
renewable energy to electronics. For more details you can visit
below link:

Continuing
its efforts to establish an extensive source of knowledge to
serve Indian Engineering and Electronics Industry and cultivate
a manufacturing culture in the country, ELCINA-Centre for
Knowledge Management (CKM), since its launch in 2008, has been
conducting various workshops on a variety of topics of interest
to the satisfaction of the industry with focus on quality
improvement and enhancing competitiveness. It has also been
organizing In-house training workshops in companies for the
benefit of the industry and the number of workshops is growing
every year.

A newsletter published by
ELCINA, New Delhi. The information contained in this newsletter is
for private circulation only. Despite our best efforts, some errors
could have crept in. You are advised to verify authenticity of the
information before further use.